


Courage

by deviantsadvocate



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22656397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviantsadvocate/pseuds/deviantsadvocate
Summary: Myla is an important figure in Dauntless. She has initiates to look out for, a best friend who keeps to himself and a boyfriend who likes to get into fights. Not to mention that she's in charge of overseeing their forces, but that's what life is like there. She's got nothing to worry about, right?No chance of being betrayed.This follows the events of Divergent and the initiation of Tris and her friends.
Relationships: Eric (Divergent)/Original Female Character(s), Four | Tobias Eaton/Tris Prior
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. Introductions

Our society functions using a unique system named the ‘Faction System’. The city had been divided into five of these factions and are desiccated to a singular virtue that is unique only to them. The first is called Abnegation. The people in this faction are selfless and value the needs of others before their own. The second is Amity whose values are based upon peace and harmony. They are happy people who believe that a person should let go of any anger and hatred they may hold. The third is Erudite whom value themselves on their intelligence. They believe that knowledge is the only way to absolve conflict. Candor is the fourth Faction. The people there are honest and open. They speak the truth even when it does not want to be heard. Finally, there’s Dauntless. The people of this faction are brave and strive to become courageous and indestructible. They are the soldiers and protect the city.

There is a sixth group who are separate from the other factions. The people there are called the Factionless. It is mostly made up of people who failed to complete their initiation or had been exiled for a number of reasons. They live a life of poverty and do all the jobs that no-one else wants to do. Only Abnegation seem to care about them, the other factions view them as next to nothing.

At the age of sixteen, everyone who is in a faction is presented the opportunity to choose which of the five factions they will spend the rest of their lives in. The take something called the Aptitude Test the day before which tells them where they belong. Although, this is merely a suggestion and they can listen to the result or ignore it. They do have a choice. However, once they have chosen, they cannot change. If they transfer to a different faction it means saying goodbye to any family and friends. After all, its faction before blood.

Once they have chosen their faction they must get through initiation. This changes with each faction with the most difficult easily awarded to Dauntless. Before their initiates even get to the compound they must successfully jump on and off a moving train. If they miss it, they become Factionless before they have even begun. Once they get there the only way in is by jumping off a building. There’s a net at the bottom to catch them, but from the rooftop there’s no way of knowing. They are then split into two groups: Dauntless-born and transfers. They are trained separately but are ranked together. They higher the rank, the better job they will get when they complete initiation. If they are below the red line, then they will be kicked out and become Factionless. Initiation is taken very seriously in Dauntless.

There are three stages to Dauntless initiation. The first is physical, the second mental and the final is emotional. Initiates have no idea of what each stage entails, and it is forbidden for members to tell them. They will only find out when they reach them. This year’s Initiates were in the first stage where the Dauntless-born and transfers were separated. The transfers were taught essential combat skills in this first stage, specifically hand-to-hand combat as well as how to fire a gun and throw knives with precision. In addition to this, they had to put their skills to the test by fighting each other. The results of which would help determine their rankings. It was simple. If they won fights, they would get points; lose and their points would decrease. As each day passed the transfers were getting stronger. The rankings had started to become more concrete with all the Initiates having done at least one fight. They also had a lesson on what would and would not be accepted in Dauntless. One girl had been hung over the chasm the previous day.

There was a tense atmosphere in the training room, but no-one dared mentioned what had happened just in case it would happen to them. The Initiates had been split into pairs and were practicing defence techniques before the round of fights. Four and Eric stood off to the side next to each other (with plenty of space between them) and watched them carefully. Well, that was until the training room doors slammed shut. Most of the Initiates paid little attention as a young woman entered the room. Either they had not noticed, or they didn’t want to face the wrath of their instructors for slacking. However, the two men watched her as she approached them.

“What are you doing here?” asked Four when she got within earshot.

“Always the warm welcome Four” she replied sarcastically as she placed herself in the space between them.

Both men immediately went back to watching the Initiates. They appeared tense with their arms crossed over their chests. Both of their mouths were pulled into a frown. They both looked pretty intimidating. On the other hand, the girl’s demeanour was the complete opposite. Her hands were placed in the back pocket of her back jeans and she swung on the balls of her feet. Her posture was relaxed. She smirked as she turned her own attention to the Initiates.

“Why are you here Myla? Isn’t there a meeting you should be in?” Eric mumbled, eyes still on the Initiates. She shook her head.

“Wow aren’t you both rays of sunshine this afternoon. I just wanted to see how our transfers are getting along…” Myla replied before looking up at Eric. “… And to make sure that you don’t hang another one over the chasm”.

“Did Max send you down?”

“Yes, but I also wanted to have a look for myself. Scope out anyone who has potential” she responded. Myla waited for a couple of seconds for either of them to say something, which neither of them did. They did not even spare her a glance. She sighed. “Well aren’t you going to introduce me?” she nudged Eric’s arm as she spoke. He rolled his eyes.

“Initiates gather around!” he shouted to gather their attention. They quickly stopped what they were doing and formed a semi-circle around the three of them. “I would like to introduce you all to Myla. It would be wise to impress her as most of you will end up with jobs working at the fence. She is the Chief Commander of Defence here at Dauntless which means that both the Fence Guard and other security forces are- “.

Eric immediately stopped speaking as he was interrupted by a snicker from the side of the group. All the Initiates surrounding the culprit moved away as if to say they had no part in it. This meant that is was obvious who had done it. A tall boy with dark, shiny hair, wide eyes and a long nose stood with his arms crossed. A smirk adorned his face with a look of snide disbelief.

“Something funny?” Eric asked him, his voice laced with anger. He stepped towards the boy but was stopped when the girl put her hand gently on his arm. She walked over to stand directly in front of the Initiate. It wasn’t too noticeable, but she limped slightly as she walked.

As she stood before him, almost all the other Initiates had a similar thought cross their minds. Myla did not look like she could intimidate a fly, let alone be able to control such a large defence operation. It wasn’t due to anything like her height. She was actually quite tall; only a few inches shorter than Four and Eric. She was pale with sharp facial features. Her nose was slightly crooked due to it previously being broken. Her mouth was thin but pulled into a smile. Her brown eyes were round and bright. A thin layer of black eyeliner lined them. Her jet-black hair was tied into a high ponytail and reached the nape of her neck. This made her earrings visible. On her left ear was a black snake which appeared to wind around the edge of her ear and on the right was a sliver leaf that covered her earlobe. Her frame looked tiny inside of the black sweater she was wearing which was at least two sizes too big. The sleeves covered her hands as she held one out to the boy. He didn’t shake it.

“What’s your name?” she asked. Her voice was soft and bubbly as if she was only speaking to a friend.

“Peter” he replied curtly.

“Nice to meet you Peter. How’s your training going?”

“Quite well” he bragged.

“Would you mind showing me?” she gestured to wrestling mat in the middle of the training room. Peter looked a little caught off guard but made his way over with everyone else following behind. They spaced themselves around the edge to watch.

“Who am I fighting?” he asked.

“Me” Myla announced as she stepped onto the mat. He scoffed. “You really doubt me, don’t you?”

She turned away and removed her sweater before throwing it to Eric who caught it with ease. When she turned back to Peter his face immediately dropped. With the sweater gone, she was now wearing just a black sports bra which revealed all the muscles that had been hidden by her clothing. This included a faint outline of abs on her stomach and her muscles on her arms. Additionally, her tattoos were now visible. On her right arm were black vines which twisted around her arm from the space between her thumb and finger before fading at her elbow. At the top of her spine was a melting rose, the petals dripping down her spine. On the inside of her left wrist there was something written, but it was hard to read at a distance.

Her entire demeanour had changed as well. Her cheery disposition had completely gone. Her mouth was straight, and her eyes narrowed. She positioned her feet to match the width of her shoulders and placed one slightly in front of the other. She balled her hands into fists and held them in front of her face ready to fight.

“Aren’t you going to take off your shoes?” Peter asked trying to keep his cool, but his nerves were shown through his voice. Up to this point the Initiates had fought without shoes in an attempt to avoid any serious injured and Myla’s heavy combat shoes looked like they would hurt. A lot.

“Call it” she said to no-one in particular, ignoring his question.

“Same rules as usual. You will fight until one of you is unable to carry on” Four called out. “Start!”.

There was absolute silence as they two circled around each other waiting for the other to make the first move. Usually Initiates would cheer each other on for support, but no-one did. Most of them didn’t like Peter anyway.

He swung his fist aiming for the side of Myla’s head which she dodged with ease. She dropped her defensive stance as Pete regained his balance. Her hands were placed on her hips and one eyebrow was raised as if to say, ‘is that all you’ve got?’. Taking advantage of her guard being lowered, or so he thought, he swung once more. Myla dodged it again and punched his squarely in the face, feeling his nose crack under her fist. The force of the punch made his body turn away from her. Without allowing him to recover, she grabbed onto one of his arms and twisted it behind his back, kicking his feet from underneath him. He hit the mat with a loud thud and groaned in pain. Blood rushed from his nose. Myla placed her knee in the small of his back using all her body weight, still twisting his arm. Peter weakly tried to get her off him, but it was futile. So, he gave up.

“The winner is Myla!” Four announced as if it wasn’t already obvious.

Myla let his arm fall to the floor and stood up. Peter groaned again as the pressure was gone from his back. He set up dazed and holding his nose. The older girl walked around the edge of the mat looking at each of the Initiates. Her eyes were cold and when she spoke her voice no longer had they bubbly tone. It was low, stable, and laced with authority.

“There are many things that you will need to learn before you finish Initiation which will be essential for your life here at Dauntless.” She held up one finger. “One: do not disrespect your superiors. I think there have been several examples now so I’m pretty sure you’ve all gotten the idea. Two: do not judge appearances or where people have come from. Everyone who is in our faction has proven that they belong here”.

With that she stepped off the mat and ordered two Initiates to help Peter and follow her to the infirmary. The other Initiates parted to allow them to pass through. It remained silent as they all tried to process what had just happened. Four watched Myla leave looking unimpressed whilst Eric tried his best, but failed, to hide his grin.

The previous thought had been wiped from their minds. There was no doubt that she was Dauntless.


	2. Cautions and Questions

That evening the food hall was buzzing with people. Taking and laughter echoed against the walls. Most of the tables were full and only a few seats were left. Sat on one of the tables on the far side of the room were a group of Initiates joking around on one end. At the other Four sat eating his food and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He was lost in his own thoughts until Myla’s tray crashed against the table as she took the seat opposite him. He looked up unphased and she smiled at him. She had changed into a plain black t-shirt, but the rest of her outfit remained the same.

“How’s the Initiate?” Four asked.

“He’ll be fine. Might be a little sluggish for a few days but he’ll live” Myla replied nonchalantly. She took a bite of the hamburger from her tray. “I saw Max on the way to the infirmary”.

“What did he say?”

“He laughed. Said that he learnt his lesson”.

“Has Eric said anything?”

“I haven’t seen him since. I expect he’ll lecture me once gets over watching me kick that boy’s ass” she grinned with pride before taking another bite. Four looked at her unconvinced. She swallowed her food and grinned.

“He’s not going to kill me. You don’t need to be so protective all of the time” she mumbled.

“I know it’s just-“

“You don’t trust him? I know. You’ve told me so for almost a year”.

At that moment, the two of them noticed that the talking beside them had died down and turned to see the small group of initiates watching them. When they made eye contact, they all happened to see something very interesting on the ceiling.

“If you need anything you know where I am” Four said as he rose from his seat. He walked around the table and behind Myla to leave. Before going past, her he leaned over her shoulder and took a piece of her chocolate cake and put it straight into his mouth.

“Hey!” she shouted after him, but he was already gone. When she turned back to her tray, she was the blonde Initiate girl looking at her again. “You want something Initiate?” she asked looking at her tray.

“Is Peter ok?” she asked. Myla looked up again to see the entire group looking at her with intrigue.

“He’ll be back tomorrow” she replied.

“Damn” the smaller of the two boys sighed. Myla chuckled.

“I take it that he’s not popular then”

“We’re not his fans” he admitted.

“What are your names?” Myla asked picking up her tray and moving along the table to sit next to them.

“I’m Will” the smaller boy said. One by one they introduced themselves. Next to Will sat another boy called Al. On the opposite side of the table, next to Myla, was Tris and another girl called Christina.

“So you’re the one who got dangled above the chasm” Myla teased. “I’m impressed. I doubt that I’d be able to do that”. Christina looked uncomfortable to the reminder but perked up at the compliment.

“Anyway, welcome to Dauntless! Just so you know, I don’t usually beat people up. It wasn’t the best way to introduce myself but there we go. I might be coming by every now and again to check on your progress so if you have any questions shoot them my way”.

“What do you do for fun around here? We have the evenings to do what we want and it’s too early to head back to our dorm” Will asked.

“Didn’t Four give you a tour?” she asked, and they all nodded. “I guess that he would have only showed you the essentials. I have nothing to do for the rest of the evening either. I can show are all around if you’d like?”

They all talked for a little longer as they finished their food. Once they had, Myla showed them around the compound in a little more detail. She showed them the best place to go if they needed somewhere quiet, spaces to avoid, where to spend their points and so on. A few people stopped to say hello or ask her a question along the way. Myla ended her tour at the pit which was alive with the Dauntless who had finished their duties for the day and had finished in the dining hall. Many of them were drinking and a few were fighting for fun.

“As you all know, this is the pit. It gets very busy in the evenings and on the weekends. People drink a lot so I would advise you to stay out of their way. Although, if you’re looking for a fight then this is the place to be. So, that completes my tour! There’s a few other places people hang out but those are either in the Dauntless quarters or outside. I don’t think I need to remind you that you’re not allowed to go to either of those”

It was loud and crowded so Myla took them off to the side and sat on the floor, her back resting on the rock wall behind her. She put her knees to her chest and wrapped her hands around them. The Initiates sat around her, and they carried on talking for a while about various things. Myla laughed along with them, but in the back of her mind she reminded herself not to get too attached. There was a chance that not all of them would make it. She hoped that they would but there was no guarantee. Eventually the topic shifted to focus on her.

“Were you in the same Initiate group as Four and Eric?” Tris asked.

“Nope. I completed Initiation last year. Four and Eric also trained me”.

“Wait, they trained you? I could have sworn that you were Dauntless-born!” Will exclaimed.

“I transferred. So I know what you guys are going through”.

“Where did you transfer from?” Al asked.

“You don’t need to know. I chose Dauntless, any part of my life before that doesn’t matter. That’s something you are all going to have to learn”.

Sensing the slight tension Will quickly changed the subject. “What was your ranking?”

“Second. I injured my ankle in the first stage so that put me down a few ranks because I couldn’t fight as well. I caught up during the second stage”. Myla’s ankle injury still bothered her occasionally. Although it wasn’t too obvious when she walked. It was something people only noticed if they knew what to look for.

More questions were about to be asked when they were interrupted by a cough. They all looked up to see Eric looming over them. His arms were crossed, and he was frowning. The Initiates shuffled uncomfortably as they tried to avoid eye-contact. Myla, on the other hand, looked directly at him completely unfazed.

“Nice little gathering you’ve got here” he said bluntly.

“Yeah, we’re having a party” Myla replied sarcastically without missing a beat.

“I’ve been looking for you for ages. We need to talk”.

“Aw, but we’re having a blast” she faked a whine and pouted. Eric remained emotionless, but Myla knew that she was getting on his nerves.

“Now” he ordered. Myla huffed before standing up and approached him. However, before she reached him, she turned back to the group on the floor.

“If you need me, come find me. Or just shout, someone will come get me”

As soon as she was done, she was ushered away. She shouted a ‘good luck’ back at the group before she was out of earshot. As soon as they had entered one of the corridors outside of the pit Eric held onto her arm and pulled her through the compound. His grip was light, so it didn’t hurt her, and Myla allowed him to lead her wherever he wanted to take her. He didn’t let go until they reached an empty corridor near the top of the compound.

“You know Four probably just watched you pull me through the compound, right?” she asked with a smirk and pointed up at the camera in the corner. Without any words he pushed her through the door directly behind her and slammed the door behind him. He faced the door and Myla could see that is hands were balled into fists.

“Can you drop the bratty attitude for five minutes?” he snapped.

“Ok, ok! I’m sorry!” she put her hands up even though he wasn’t looking. She reached around him to flick the light switch. As the room lit up, she went and sat down on a nearby black sofa, crossing her legs. Myla looked around the room as the two stayed silent. She hadn’t been paying attention to where Eric was bringing her and hadn’t even noticed that they were heading to her bedroom.

Her room was a lot larger than she needed, but she didn’t complain. The walls were comprised of exposed brick and the floor was concrete. An array of different shaped rugs lined the floor. They had originally been black but were beginning to fade to grey. There were large windows along one side of the room which looked over the edge of the compound and the surrounding buildings. Their lights shone brightly against the inky black sky. There was a double bed in the far corner in front of a window with black bedsheets shoved into a pile unmade. Next to it was a wooden bedside table with a digital alarm clock and book places on top. About halfway along the back wall was a wooden desk covered in various pieces of paper. On the floor next to it were more stacks of paper. Resting against the opposite wall was a wardrobe. Next to that was a door leading to a bathroom. There were a couple of support pillars around the room and resting against one was an old punching bag which looked a bit worse for wear. Taped against the walls in no particular pattern were pieces of paper with drawings on them. In the centre of the room was a black leather sofa which was where Myla was sat. A glass table with an empty cup was placed in front of it.

Eric turned around to face her but refused to meet her eyes. His breathing had slowed but he was still tense.

“You shouldn’t have beat him up” Eric said, his voice serious and stable. Myla placed her head in her hands and sighed.

“And you weren’t going to? He had to be taught a lesson and it was better that I did it instead of you. Besides, he wasn’t even a threat”.

“I know but-”

Myla stood up again and crossed the few steps to him. She placed her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at her. His expression softened as soon as his eyes met hers.

“I can protect myself. You know that better than anyone else” she said gently. After a moment she let go and backed up, flashing him a smile. “You have to admit I looked pretty badass though” she teased. Eric couldn’t stay mad any longer and shook his head.

“Fine but you’re still getting punished for stepping out of line. And disrespecting a Dauntless leader in front of the Initiates” he stated.

“What? Why?” she asked as her smiled dropped.

“Because I said so. You’re going to help me put everything away after training for the rest of the first stage” he said smirking instead. Myla let out an annoyed groan. “And why did you bring up Four?”

“He said something at dinner”

“What did he say?”

“The usual” Myla replied and let out a big yawn.

“He doesn’t trust me?”

“You’ve got it”


	3. Mornings

The next morning Myla was woken up by the sun blaring through the windows. She squinted her eyes as she allowed them to adjust. When everything got a little less bright and blurry, she turned her head to the clock on her bedside table.

10:37am.

Usually she wouldn’t allow herself to sleep in so late, but she had been exhausted. The past week had been composed of endless meetings and she didn’t know how long that would continue on for. She stretched as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She jumped out of her bed and jogged across the room to the bathroom, briefly stopping at her wardrobe to pick up some clothes. The concrete floor was cold against her bare feet. She quickly undressed and jumped into the shower. If she was given the option, she would happily spend hours under the warm water. But alas there were restrictions she had to abide by. So, reluctantly, she stepped out and dried herself off.

Once dry Myla dressed for the day. Her clothes weren’t anything special, just the standard Dauntless clothes. She wore a black tank top which she tucked into a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans. She dried her hair with a towel and brushed it to get rid of any knots. She decided to leave it down today as she had nothing physical to do that day. It fell just past her shoulder blades in small waves. She then placed the usual snake and leaf earrings into her ears. She put on some mascara, a little bit of eyeliner and dark purple lipstick. It was an attempt to distract people from realised how tired she felt. Also, she enjoyed putting on makeup. She had worn it from a young age, but the makeup style in Dauntless made her feel more powerful. Her entire outfit made her feel powerful. Like no-one could touch her.

The dining hall was relatively empty when she entered. Most people had come for breakfast hours ago. They were likely all in work or training by now. Lunch wouldn’t start for at least another hour either. There wasn’t a huge variety of food left so she just picked up a few pieces of fruit and headed to one of the far tables. There was plenty of space, but she preferred to sit out of the way and in the quiet. Although this was Dauntless, and nothing was quiet for very long.

“Myla!”

She winced as she heard her name echo across the almost empty room. She looked up to see a group of three making their way towards her. The girl who had called her name was Sky. She had fiery red hair which stuck out in every direction. She was pale and freckles adorned her round face. Her features were soft and child-like. She was very short, no taller than five foot and had the energy of an exited six-year-old. Next to her was a boy who was over a foot taller than her. His name was Felix and he had tanned skin with almond shaped eyes. He had a sharp jawline and a long nose. He was very muscular due to almost constant training. His brown hair was long but was tied back into a bun. His tattoos covered his neck and behind his ear and disappeared underneath the collar of his black t-shirt. Beside him was another guy who was a few inches shorter. He was equally as muscular. His hair was blond and slicked back. His eyes were a piercing blue and he always looked like he was judging you. He always held himself as if he was on duty, his back straight and hands behind his back. That was Griffin. They were some of Myla’s closest friends. They had all survived Initiation together after all.

All of them were grinning as they approached her table. Felix and Sky took seats opposite her whilst Griffin sat in the one next to her. They all watched as Myla popped a strawberry into her mouth to give her an excuse not to speak to them straight away.

“A little birdie told us you knocked out an initiate yesterday” Felix said with his head on his hands, feigning innocence. Myla swallowed and sighed.

“I forget how quickly gossip spreads. And I didn’t knock him out. I just taught him a lesson about respect” she said. They all laughed at her response. “What?”

“What happened to the girl in Initiation who refused to fight?” teased Griffin.

“The one who kicked your ass, you mean?” Myla retorted. Griffin stuck his tongue out at her.

“What’s this?” Sky asked picking up the black binder Myla had on the table next to her. She immediately snatched it back.

“Private information. I have another meeting in about half an hour”

“Ooh. Is Eric going to be there?” Sky joked whilst making kissing noises. Myla gently hit her over the head with the binder.

“He’s training the Initiates, remember? And stop teasing, everyone knows. It was the big gossip a few months ago” Mya grumbled, her face going a little red. The other three laughed again.

“You’re cute”

“And you’re lucky I like you”.


	4. Grey

“The Factionless are getting out of control! Do you know how many fights we’ve had to break up in the last week?”

“Come on. They’re harmless. On the plus side, if they do end up killing each other it will be one less thing to worry about”.

“We’re wasting resources. Something needs to be done to get them back in line!”

“What do you think we should do Myla?”

Leaning back on her chair, Myla was busy staring at the ceiling with her feet resting on the meeting table. She had zoned out a little as soon as the conversation turned to arguing. All meetings turned out the same way. It wouldn’t be long before someone lost their cool. They would argue about something but, as their Commander, the final decision would either be hers or whichever one of the Dauntless leaders were present. So, she would just leave them to it until she was called upon or had enough and had to tell them to shut up. However, with Max present she chose to do the former. With a sigh Myla took her feet off the table and leaned forwards, crossing her arms on the table instead.

“They’re fighting more because they’re scared. They barely have enough to live on as it is and once winter comes, it’s only going to get worse. Plus, Dauntless presence in the Factionless areas was suspended a few years ago. If we are to do something, then we need to speak to Abnegation and formulate a plan with them. They know a lot more about how to help them than we do”.

“They need to be taught a lesson, not helped!” one of her subordinates argued.

“And that’s the kind of attitude that will escalate the issue!” she snapped.

“We can’t go into Abnegation throwing around accusations and theories” Max stated. “I shall speak to Marcus and organise a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. Myla, you’ll come with me and we’ll see what information we can get. We’ll form a plan from there. Understood?”

“Yes sir”.

The sound of knives against the wooden targets echoed across the training room as Myla entered. She gently closed the door behind her so she wouldn’t distract the Initiates (getting hit by a flying knife would not be fun) and leant against the wall. They would all be finishing for the day pretty soon. A few minutes passed before Four called for them all to stop and dismissed them. As the Initiates left, some of them threw weary glances her way as they passed. Christina said ‘hi’ as when she saw her, arm linked with Tris’ and with Al and Will following behind. Myla nodded her head and smiled before they also rushed out of the training room. Only when the door closed after the last Initiate did Myla move away and head towards the two men.

“Four, you can go. Myla will be helping me clear up for the rest of the first stage” Eric ordered when he saw her.

“Gladly” Four responded. He handed the knife in his hand to Myla and patted her shoulder before leaving.

“Help me collect all the knives?”

“Yes sir” she mocked with a wide grin before walking to the nearest target. To her surprise, most of the knives had landed on the targets. Only a few were scattered on the floor. With a yank she was able to get the knives out of the wood. Some were really dug in there.

“How’d the meeting go?” Eric asked.

“They started arguing after five minutes again. But other than that, it was fine”.

“Any plans?” He asked holding out his hand. Myla walked over and handed over the knives she had collected.

“We need to speak to Abnegation first. They know the most about the Factionless and will probably be the most difficult to convince that something needs to be done” she sighed.

“So we need the Stiff’s permission. That shouldn’t be too difficult” Eric scoffed placed the knives into a big, black box. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Myla cross her arms so looked at her. Her eyes were narrowed, and her mouth pulled into a frown. “Sorry it slipped out”.

“I’ll forgive you this once” she mumbled. Myla didn’t come from Abnegation, but she still hated the term. “Max is going to speak with Marcus first thing tomorrow morning and asked if I could assist him”

“He’ll probably tell me about it later. Now let’s finish up. I don’t want to be in here any longer than I have to”.

The sky was grey the following morning and the force of the wind almost blew her off her feet whilst she waited for Max. Despite donning a thick leather jacket, she had to stop herself from shivering. Luckily for her, their trip was considered official business and Max would be taking one of the cars. It was a lot quicker (and safer), plus there was the additional bonus of heating. However, they still had to get out and walk for the last part of their journey. Whilst the roads inside of the city were perfectly fine to drive on, the roads closer to Abnegation were impossible. Abnegation were in charge of the repairs and felt that it would be considered ‘selfish’ to fix the ones in their sector. Myla thought it was more inconvenient.

Walking side by side, Myla allowed herself to take in her surroundings as they approached the area of the city which belonged to Abnegation. Although she had seen glimpses of it whilst riding the train, she had never seen it up close. It was all so… grey.

All of the houses were the same size and shape, all in rows an equal distance apart. If she was honest, it was all a little bit creepy. Several people dressed in modest, grey clothing bustled around doing their own thing. Those who made eye contact with the two Dauntless nodded their heads in greeting as they walked past. Myla realised the little things which showed how different the two Factions acted. She had only left school just over a year ago. There she had been surrounded by others from all of the Factions, but she had never really paid attention to the Abnegation kids. The people dressed in grey were reserved and held themselves as if even their existence was selfish by talking way space for other people. On the contrary, Myla and Max exuded confidence and walked with their backs straight. They were soldiers marching with a purpose and were there to be noticed. It hadn’t taken Myla learn that. She did, however, choose to dress a little more modest. Well as much as the Dauntless style would allow. She wore black skinny jeans and a high-neck t-shirt. Her black leather jacket was zipped up to her collarbone. She had tired her hair into a ponytail and only wore eyeliner compared to a full face of makeup. On her feet were the combat boots she usually wore. Most of her skin was covered and the tattoo on her arm was barely visible. Only a little bit of it peaked out underneath her sleeve. It wasn’t much, but she hoped that it would be a little less of a shock.

Myla had no idea where they were going and followed Max, staying only a step behind. Neither of them had said a word since they entered Abnegation. Both kept their eyes straight ahead as they walked. They only slowed when they approached a man stood outside one of the houses. He was in his forties, tall and slim with mousy brown hair. He stood respectably with his hands together. When the two got closer he held one of them out. Max took it in his own and shook it.

“It’s great to see you again Max” the man said, his voice gentle.

“It’s been a while” Max replied. He gestures to the girl stood at his side. “This is Myla”.

“Andrew Prior” the man introduced himself and shook her hand. She awkwardly shook it back. That was one of the things that she wasn’t used to in Dauntless. It wasn’t really a custom in her previous Faction. She found it uncomfortable. “It’s a pleasure to meet you”

“And you” she said with a smile.

“Please, come inside” Andrew beckoned as he held the front door open for them. Giving him a nod of thanks, Myla followed Max inside.

Myla’s eyes adjusted fairly quickly to the darker interior of the Prior’s house. After living in the Dauntless compound for a year, a drastic change of lighting was something she was used to. The interior of the house was just as plain and boring as its exterior. There were small windows lining the top of the wall next to the front door. A few lamps were spaced around the room. The walls and floor were grey and there was little furniture. Only a table and four chairs, cupboards and basic cooking equipment were in the kitchen. In the living room were only two sofas. A set of stairs were in the corner leading to more rooms upstairs. That was it.

Standing in the corner of the room was a woman roughly the same age as Andrew. She was tall with brown hair pulled tightly into a bun. Her clothes hung from her body in a way that made her look tiny. When Myla entered the kitchen, she nodded her head and the woman returned it with a warm smile. Next to her a kettle boiled on the stove. The two men took seats around the table and Myla did the same. As she leant back in her chair, a mug of coffee was placed in front of each of them. Myla muttered a thanks to the older woman, before watching her excuse herself and leave the house. Myla held the mug in her hands, its warm welcomed after being out in the cold. She lifted it to her lips and took a sip. She winced as it burned her tongue and then grimaced at the taste. She had not tried coffee before. It wasn’t as if it wasn’t available in Dauntless, many people drunk it. She just never had. However, she carried on drinking it to be polite.

“So, what can Abnegation do for Dauntless?” Andrew asked looking at the two dressed in black sat either side of him. Myla let Max take the lead.

“The Factionless are getting increasingly restless. The number of cases of serious injuries had increased in recent weeks. Over the winter, with their food supplies being as low as they are already, it’s bound to get a lot worse. If a patrol wasn’t returning from the fence last Thursday at that particular time and intervened, someone would have been killed” Max explained. Andrew nodded his head as he listened and waited until Max had stopped speaking to do so himself.

“If this is about the accusations from Erudite about the food supplies-”

“It’s not that” Max interrupted. “That’s Erudite’s issue not ours. We are proposing bringing back the Dauntless patrols in the city”

“They were stopped for a reason. Your people abused their power and launched unprovoked attacks on the Factionless”

“I know that, but we have completely changed the way our defence strategies are orchestrated” Max spoke with his voice level the entire time like a true leader. He gestured to Myla who sat up straight. “Myla is our head of defence and one of her jobs is to oversee the way Dauntless uses its forces. She has devised a new tactic to ensure something like that doesn’t happen again”. The two men looked her way waiting for her to speak.

“Of course, I know the reasoning behind why the city patrols were abandoned. There was a severe lack of monitoring on the front line. Those in charge had to rely on what they were told by those on patrol which was often untrue. I propose that we have smaller patrols of around five people. They will keep an eye on the Factionless from afar and only interact with them if deemed necessary. Also, and I know you’re not on the best of terms with them at the moment, but we can get Erudite to provide us with body cameras so we can monitor what is happening from the compound…” Myla justified.

“… That way if anything does happen, we will know straight away, and it will be dealt with accordingly” Max finalised. Andrew stayed silent, his expression not giving anything away. Myla’s eyes flickered between the two men waiting for one of them to speak.

“Ok” Andrew started. “I need you to clarify a few things…”


	5. Importance

The three of them continued talking for hours. In Myla’s opinion the conversation seemed to be going around in circles. Anything to do with the Factionless was a touchy subject for the Abnegation people. She could see why though. In the past a small group of Dauntless took abused their skills and powers and basically used them as human punching bags. It would be a difficult task to convince them that bringing back the patrols would be for the best, but Myla hadn’t expected to be answering the same questions over and over again. Then again, she hadn’t been to an official meeting with a different Faction before. This was probably what they were always like. They would have to do it all over again if they could get through to Andrew as they would have to meet with all the government officials. Eventually though, they did seem to be getting through. However, this was the point where Max asked Myla to wait outside so they could talk more privately. She wasn’t a leader anyway. She did so without hesitation.  
Resting against the concrete wall outside, Myla watched the sun set. The horizon was covered with splatters of yellow, red and purple. This was one of the few things she missed when she was stuck inside the Dauntless compound. Yes, she had one of the few rooms with windows, but she was often working until long after the sun had gone down. As she took a breath of the fresh air, there was a strong gust of wind. Myla shivered. It was a lot warmer than it had been that morning, but it was starting to get cold again. That was the one thing she definitely didn’t miss about being in nature. 

“Is everything ok?” a gentle voice asked and brought her back from her thoughts. 

Myla looked down from the sky and came face-to-face with the woman from earlier. She was stood at the end of the small pathway. She had a grey sack thrown over her shoulder. She didn’t seem to be bothered by its weight; she was adjusting it every few seconds. 

“Yeah. Max just asked me to wait outside that’s all” Myla replied. She approached the woman and held out her hand. “Let me carry that for you”. 

“It’s fine. I can do it” she said with a smile. Typical Abnegation. 

“It’s no trouble. Besides you’re obviously struggling” Myla stated refusing to put down her hand. The woman looked unsure but seeing that the younger girl wasn’t going to budge, handed the sack to her. “Where are we taking it?” she asked.

“To one of our older residents. They couldn’t collect their new sets of clothes when they were distributed the other day. So, I offered to bring it to them”. 

“Lead the way” Myla said as she swung the sack over her shoulder. It wasn’t that heavy for her, but she could see why the woman had been struggling. She had a year of intense training to improve her strength, whereas there was none of that in Abnegation. She was bound to find it easier. 

The woman beckoned her to follow. As they walked past the rows of houses, people tried their best to hide their confused expressions. Myla understood why though. I was a strange sight to see a member of Dauntless in Abnegation, let alone one helping and walking beside so casually. The two walked in silence and it wasn’t long until they reached the house. Myla handed the sack back over and waited outside whilst the woman took it in. A few minutes later they were waking back. 

“My name’s Myla by the way, I realised that I introduced myself to your husband but not you… You are Andrew’s wife, right?” Myla asked sheepishly. She realised that she hadn’t told the woman her name whilst she had been waiting outside. The woman nodded. Myla took a moment to scan the woman’s face whilst she wasn’t looking at her. Her gaze was firmly on the floor. Dark circles were starting to form under her eyes, but something else bugged her. Although she acted like a typical Abnegation woman, there was something that wasn’t quite right. There was a slight sense of confidence in the way she held herself. Maybe she had been a transfer? Additionally, Myla felt a pang of familiarity from her features, but wasn’t sure why. 

“I’m Natalie” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Natalie” Myla replied with a smile. “I know that it’s not my place to say anything, but I believe that the accusations thrown around by Erudite are a bunch of crap. They will say anything to get even a slither of power”.

“Thank you” she replied finally looking up at Myla and mirroring her smile. Except hers was warm and motherly. Behind Natalie’s eyes however, she seemed to be deep in thought and as though she was struggling to find the words to ask. “Do you anything about your Initiates?”. 

“A little”. 

“My daughter, she-“ Natalie started but stopped when Myla put her hand up. 

“I’m sure you know better than anyone that I can’t tell you anything”. 

“I know. I just want to know if she’s ok” she sighed. Although she didn’t show her emotions externally, her eyes still pleaded with her. It then clicked. There had been only one Abnegation transfer this year and that was Tris. 

“She’s fine” she replied, and Natalie let out of a sigh of relief. It was partially true. Tris was doing fine fitting in at Dauntless, but her ranking was a different story. “You’ll be able to see her in a few days anyway”. At this reminded Natalie seemed to pick up a little more. Myla couldn’t imagine what it was like to have to say goodbye to your child without any warning. However, as a transfer herself, she could understand the need to leave. 

As they approached the Prior’s house, Myla saw Max waiting outside for her. He was still talking to Andrew but the two stopped when they got within earshot. They all said their goodbyes before heading back out of Abnegation and back to the car. 

“Where did you wonder off to?” Max asked. 

“Andrew’s wife was taking some stuff to an old couple but was struggling to carry it. I offered to carry it for her” she answered nonchalantly. Although, she was worried that Max would lecture her about how it wasn’t a ‘Dauntless thing to do’. However, he let out a small chuckle. 

“You can’t let your past habits die, can you?” 

“Trust me, I wish I could” she muttered. She quickly changed the subject. “I thought we were meeting Abnegation’s leader?”

“Marcus was unavailable, so he asked us to speak with one of the other government officials instead”. 

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Both were busy processing what they had discussed. Not that the two of them talked much anyway. The only times they did were during meetings or exchanging pleasantries if they passed each other. In fact, Myla didn’t talk to any of the other Dauntless leaders casually except for Eric. However, they were all aware of who she was. Her reputation proceeded her.   
When they finally reached the compound, they went straight into a briefing with the available Dauntless leaders and other members of her team. Andrew wanted them to discuss it further and with the rest of the government so they would have to prepare a formal pitch. Myla wasn’t too impressed at that part. It would mean that her busy schedule would get a lot worse. She had enough on her plate as it was. Luckily for her though, it wouldn’t be for another few weeks.   
It was about seven o’clock when she was finally dismissed. Usually she would have headed straight to the dining hall. Instead she hogged to the training room. On her way she bumped into Christina and Tris.

“Have you guys seen Eric?” she asked. 

“Not since we left the training room” Christina replied. 

“Ok, thank you!” she said before sprinting in that direction. The two girls looked at her with confusion as she left. 

Once she got to the familiar set of double doors, she pushed them open. The lights were still on, but it appeared empty. Myla placed her hands on her hips and was trying to catch her breath when a voice called from the far end of the room. 

“You’re late” 

“I know. I’ve only just been dismissed. We were at Abnegation for a lot longer than we expected”. 

Eric was sat on a bench at the opposite side of the room. He was leaning forwards, spinning a knife in between his fingers. He looked annoyed, probably from having to wait for her for so long. Myla noticed and looked down at her feet. She could feel his eyes scan her. She was still wearing the leather jacket and her hair, although still in a ponytail, was a bit of a mess due to the wind and from her running. 

“What did Marcus say?”

“Marcus wasn’t available. We met with Andrew Prior instead. He said they’ll think about it. We have to make a proposal in a few weeks. 

There was an awkward silence between them until Myla yawned. She quickly covered her mouth to hide it, but she didn’t do a very good job. She could hear Eric put the knife down and his footsteps get closer. He gently put his hand underneath her chin and lifted it so she would look him in the eye. His expression had softened (or as much was possible for him) and looked at her with concern. 

“Have you eaten today?” he asked, his voice gentle. 

“I ate before I left this morning”. 

“What time was that?” he pressed. 

“I don’t know. Sometime before nine?”  
“Right, we’re going to get you something”.

“But what about-”

“Four and I tidied up everything when you didn’t turn up. The fact that you’ve not eaten in almost twelve hours is more important”.

“It’s not that imp-” she tried to argue. 

“Don’t” he stopped her again. “And as a Dauntless leader, this is an order” he added with a smirk. 

“You can’t pull the Dauntless leader card! It isn’t fair!” she whined which caused him to laugh. 

Eric reached over and carefully pulled her hair out of the ponytail. He brushed his fingers in an attempt to tidy her hair and mumbled something about it looking a mess. After he took her hand and lead her to the dining hall. He didn’t care if anyone saw him. People didn’t even bat an eye at them anymore. It was old news at this point. Eric only let go of Myla’s hand when they reached the line for food. There were only two other people in front of them, so it didn’t take long. Myla put a hamburger and a few pieces of fruit onto her tray. Eric watched her and sighed before putting a pile of fries and a slice of chocolate cake onto her tray. He shrugged when she gave him a look of disbelief.   
They headed to a nearby table. They headed to a nearby table. It was mostly empty and there were only a few small groups. A small group of initiates were gathered on a far table all laughing loudly. Eric sat opposite and her and she watched as he took a sip from his mug of coffee. She scowled. 

“I don’t know how you drink that. It’s disgusting”. 

“Since when did you drink coffee” he asked putting his mug down. 

“Prior’s wife gave me a mug”

“And let me guess, you drank it all?”

“Obviously. I wasn’t going to turn it down. That would be rude” she sated. Eric chuckled and was about to say something, but Myla beat him to it. “I know, I can’t let old habits die. Max already said that”. 

“I wasn’t going to say that. But I’ve made a mental note. It’s a no to coffee”. 

“How was training today?” she asked shovelling a handful of fires into her mouth. 

“Fights weren’t particularly. The Stiff was knocked out but other than that nothing interesting”. He looked at Myla and saw him scowling at her. “I did it again, didn’t I? Sorry” he mumbled. 

“What are you doing tonight? I haven’t seen you properly since Initiation started”.

Eric looked at the group of Initiates, making sure that he couldn’t be heard before he spoke. “It’s capture the flag day” he said in a hushed voice. Myla immediately perked up in her seat. “No, you need sleep” he pressed. 

“Really? Or is it because I beat your ass last year” she teased. 

“You were on my team!”

“You were the one who shot me first! And if I recall correctly, you didn’t want me on your team. I was too weak remember?” 

“How long are you going to use that against me?” 

“I think I still have a little while yet” she smirked. 

“You’re still not coming”.

“But I want to!” she pouted. 

“No”


	6. Brain Over Brawn

The train sped along the tracks leading to the outskirts of the city. Myla sat on the floor in the corner of the carriage smirking. Despite his best efforts, Eric had failed to convince Myla to stay at the compound. He was busy organising the guns on the other side of the carriage and was making an active attempt to ignore her. Four hadn’t said anything about her presence, but his eye flickered between the two from his position near the carriage door. When his eyes met Myla’s, he gave her a quizzical look. This only made her burst out laughing.

As the centre of the city disappeared into the distance, Eric rose and proceeded to explain the rules of the game. They would be split into two teams, Eric leading one and Four the other. They would each be given a flag which they would have to hide. The first team to get a hold of the other team’s flag would be the winner. Each person was to be given a gun and, although the bullets weren’t real, they sure as hell hurt. Some of the Initiates didn’t believe it, so Eric shot one of them in the leg. Point proven.

Eric and Four started to pick their teams. They listed the names in turn starting with the transfers, then the Dauntless-born. As expected, Eric chose the physically strong ones whilst Four focused more on intelligence. When it was time to pick from the few fully-fledged Dauntless members who were present, Four called the first name without missing a beat.

“Myla”.

Eric was evidently momentarily caught off guard, but quickly collected himself. He glared at Four who just looked directly into his eyes without a care. Myla rolled her eyes at them but smiled whilst she did so. She picked up her gun and joined the rest of Four’s team. It was decided that Eric’s team would be the first to jump from the train. Before Eric jumped, he looked back at Myla. She had a wide grin and winked at him. He just rolled his eyes in response before disappearing into the night. A couple of minutes later and it was their turn. Four jumped first whilst Myla waited for the Initiates to go before, she did. She landed on her feet, taking a few steps to balance herself from the train’s momentum. A lot of the Initiates, mostly transfers, had landed on the floor so she had to make sure that she didn’t trip over any of them. Although it wouldn’t take them long to learn how to land on their feet. They hadn’t had much time to practice yet.

Four led them towards the Navy Pier which was where they decided would be their base location. Myla jogged to the front of the group and walked alongside him.

“Why’s Eric acting more stuck up than usual?” Four asked.

“He’s in a mood because he didn’t want me to come. He thinks that I should be in bed instead” she explained as she tied up her hair. The wind was starting to pick up again and she didn’t want to get shot because she couldn’t see what was in front of her.

“I agree with him. Don’t tell him that though” he added. Myla was about to argue with him, but he carried on before she got the chance. “What time did you get up this morning?”

“I don’t know. Six? Wait, how did you know I was up early?”

“I saw you when I was walking to training. You looked like you were leaving”.

“You should have just come and said hi instead of creeping from afar” she teased, nudging his arm lightly.

“Shut up” he replied nudging her back.

“Before you ask, I went with Max to meet with Abnegation about the issues with the Factionless”.

“Did you meet with Marcus?”

“Nope, Prior”.

“Confab?” he asked as they approached the pier.

“Of course. I’ll meet you after training”.

With Four training the Initiates and the amount of work Myla had lately meant that neither of them had spent much time together. Myla had friends in Dauntless, but Four was by far her closest and she wasn’t ashamed to say that she missed just talking with him. Although she wouldn’t admit it to his face. When either of them needed to talk they used the code-word ‘confab’. It was something Myla had once read in a book and it was fitting. Neither of them was very good at expressing their emotions, so it was their way to say they needed someone to talk to.

Shortly after they arrived at the pier it was decided that their flag would be placed on the carousel. It glowed against the crumbling structure; its paint faded due to it being abandoned for decades. Almost instantaneously the group started to argue about strategies as they all huddled together. Myla stepped away and took a seat on the carousel steps, laying the gun beside her. It was up to the Initiates to decide what to do. She just hoped that they wouldn’t decide on something stupid that would end up with her getting hit with several bullets.

As Myla watched them argue, she noticed Tris move away silently towards the Ferris Wheel which loomed above them. She didn’t move but paid close attention as she started to climb up the steel steps. They were old so she was surprised that they didn’t break as Tris made her way up. Myla had to give her credit though. She wasn’t scared of heights, but there as no way she would climb up there. Either that or Tris was stupid. It was one of them.

Myla was about to get up and stand underneath just in case she did fall. However, she decided to stay put when she saw Four follow her and start climbing himself. Myla smiled to herself. He hated heights. Reassured that Tris would be safe, she pulled her focus back to the others. Although, she would definitely bring it up when they spoke tomorrow.

The arguing continued amongst the Initiates, none of them coming up with a suitable plan. Half of the group wanted to charge right in whilst the other wanted to stay put and ambush the other team when they got close. Myla put her head in her hands to block them out. It wasn’t going anywhere. At this rate, by the time they decided what to do the other team would have found them anyway.

A couple of minutes later, there was a clanging of metal and Myla’s head snapped up. Four was fine, but one of the steps had broken leaving Tris hanging a considerable distance from the ground. Instead of staying put to catch her if she fell however, Four ran to the side of the Ferris Wheel. Myla stood up ready to run and catch her, but the wheel started to move. She was surprised that it even worked. It only stopped once Tris was safely back on the ground.

“Well done. You just gave away our position!” Myla called as the two jogged back to the rest of the team.

“We know where the other team’s flag is”

Much to Myla’s disbelief, the plan was decided rather quickly after that. All the arguing was for nothing. Then again, it was part of her job to come up with tactical strategies, so she was used to it being done a lot more quickly and efficiently.

The plan was to split the team into three. The first was to go make a lot of noise to distract the other team and make them think they flag was hidden somewhere else. The second was a smaller team who would go after the flag. The final team was made up of just a few people to keep watch of their flag. Myla was part of the second team.

“Make as much noise as you can, but don’t make it too obvious. Do not let them catch on to what you’re doing!” she instructed the distraction team before the two split and ran in different directions. Myla ran near the front with her finger on the trigger, ready just in case they ran into the other team. To her left was Will and on her right was Uriah, one of the Dauntless-born Initiates.

“You should have been on the distraction team. You’re an expert at distracting Eric” Uriah teased, a big grin on his face. Myla glared at him.

“You may be on my team, but I can still shoot you” Myla retorted. Uriah laughed whilst Will looked at the two of them confused.

“How’s your ‘punishment’ going?” Uriah continued.

“How do you know about that?”

“Zeke told me”.

“How did he-? You know what I really don’t want to know. Tell him to watch his back if you see him” she threated. However, the smile on her face showed that she wasn’t really serious.

“With pleasure. He’ll be totally paranoid”

“Why are you being punished?” Will pitched in. Myla was surprised at how well he was keeping up with them.

“Remember when I beat up Peter?” Will nodded. “Well apparently is was reckless and uncalled for. I only have to help tidy up after training so it’s no big deal”.

“I bet Eric is thrilled about that” Uriah pitched in.

“What is it with your obsession with Eric and me? I’m starting to think you’ve got a crush on him or something” she shot back.

“Even if I did, I’m not fighting for him with you. I actually want to make it through Initiation”.

Before their conversation could continue a series of gunshots rung through the air in the distance. They all went silent as their objective came into view. The flag glowed a bright green in the dark. Myla allowed the Initiates to take the lead and stayed at the rear. She circled around the area slowly, keeping to the treeline. Choosing a spot, she knelt on the floor. Raising the gun to the side of her face she placed her finger on the trigger once again. She was prepared to shoot at the first sign of movement.

It was all quiet for a moment before Tris and Christina made their move towards the flag. Myla notices shapes in the shadows. Without hesitation she fired three shots, two of them hitting their targets as the figures fell to the ground. She emerged from her position and sprinted with her gun still raised to provide cover for the two girls. A figure appeared at her right with their gun raised. A bullet flew past her shoulder just missing her. She turned and fired two shots, one just below the knee and another in the thigh as she carried on running. In the corner of her eye she could see the figure kneel on the floor. Myla could hear cheering and she looked up to see Christina waving the flag in her hands. The rest of their team gathered around her shouting and patting her on the back. Myla lowered her gun and couldn’t help but smile. She was proud of them. The underdogs had won. The other team looked the opposite; glum and defeated. Although that could have been due to the pain for being shot several times. Myla’s eyes were drawn to Eric as he limped over from the direction she had come. It then clicked. Myla laughed at him before joining the rest of her team.

Myla’s adrenaline was beginning to fade as she walked into her bedroom over an hour later. She flicked on the light and threw her jacket on the sofa. She slumped onto the sofa to untie her shoes when her bedroom door opened. In stumbled Eric who, without a word, walked over to her bed and collapsed on top of it.

“Haven’t you heard of knocking?” she grinned, kicking off her shoes and getting up to close and lock the door behind him.

“Shut up” he replied, his voice muffled as he laid face-down. Myla perched on the edge of the bed, but he didn’t look up.

“How’s your leg?” she teased.

“Stop”

“I can’t believe you missed me. I thought you had a good aim” she continued. Before she could dodge out the way she was pulled down onto the bed and Eric was above her, his arms either side of her head. “I guess it’s better then” she laughed.

“I’m going to get you back for that” he said looking down at her. He then laid down next to her. “I can’t believe I lost to Four” he complained covering his face with his hands.

“It’s because you didn’t have me” she teased shifting on her side so she could look at him. “Seriously though, it’s because you chose brawn over brain. We have some smart Initiates this year. Next year you should try to combine the two”.

“How was the zip line?” Eric asked lowering his hands to look at her whilst he changed the subject.

“I stayed at the bottom. But one or two almost didn’t use the break in time. You should have come”.

“I don’t think I’d be welcome”.

“When has that ever stopped you?”

“True”.

They talked for a little while longer until Myla fell asleep. When she woke up the sun was starting to rise. It casted a soft orange glow into the room. She turned to the side looked at Eric who was still fast asleep. He looked a lot more relaxed. The scowl that usually adorned his face was gone and he seemed peaceful. Myla noticed that he had pulled the blanket over the two of them. They were both in the same clothing they had worn the day before.

Myla ghosted her fingers over the tattoos that were visible on his neck as she watched him. These days they hadn’t had much time together. Even before Initiation Eric had a lot of Dauntless leader meetings. Plus, Myla had been pretty busy as well. So, to spend time like this was nice. She felt him and looked up to see him watching her. She put her hand down and felt herself become a little nervous.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you” she whispered.

“It’s ok. I have to get up anyway” he replied gently.

“I miss this” she pouted.

“The final fights are today and then visiting day is tomorrow. They all have a day off after that. I’ll be all yours then”.

“But I have work” she sighed.

“I thought the Abnegation thing wasn’t for a few weeks?” Eric asked sitting up.

“It isn’t, but the other leaders want a complete rundown on all operations and strategy plans for some reason”.

“You’re taking the next two days off”

“I just told you I can’t”

“I’m a Dauntless leader in case you forgot, and I say that you can” he pressed. His expression softened when he saw that she wasn’t convinced. “I’ll speak to Max”

“Thank you”

Eric leaned down and kissed her forehead before getting up. “Tomorrow. I promise”.

“Tomorrow. Try not to kill anyone!” she called as he walked to the door.

“No promises!”


	7. Promise?

“Myla! Wait up!” 

“Griffin?”

Myla stopped as she watched Griffin jog up to her from the other end of the corridor. He stopped in directly in front of her, bending down to rest his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. He looked like he had just run the length of the compound (they did that one, do not recommend). It wasn’t all that common to see him out of breath. He was one of the most physically fit people she knew. But then again, he was wearing a thick, long-sleeved shirt which probably didn’t help the situation. 

“Everything ok?” Myla asked, a little concern lacing her voice. She placed the large stack of papers she had been holding on the floor beside her before gently patting him on the back. She had been on her way back to the control room when she had been stopped. Griffin held up a hand. 

“Give me a second. Why is this place so big?” he said panting heavily. After a minute he straightened back up. “Visiting Day is tomorrow?”

“You ran through the compound to tell me about Visiting Day? Sorry to break it to you, but I know”. 

“No, well yes, but that’s not all. We know that you’d rather not be here with all the families around. We were planning to escape for a bit”. 

“No-one came from there this year” she replied. “Trust me, you would have heard about it if there had been”. 

“True. The offer still stands though. It gets too crowded”. 

“I need to double check if I have the day off, but sure! Why not? I’ll let you know as soon as I do” she chirped. It had been a while since she had hung out with her friends properly. It would be like the old days. 

“Good! I’m pretty sure Sky would have kidnapped you regardless” he said causing them both to laugh. He looked down at the stack on the floor. “Do you want me to carry those for you?”. 

“Please. I feel like my arm’s going to fall off!”

A steady stream of Dauntless exited the training room a couple of hours later. The final fights for the first stage had finished for both the Dauntless-born and transfers. Some walked with smiles on their faces whilst others adorned bloody noses and bruises beginning to form. Myla had missed the fights on purpose, waiting until they were over to come down. She didn’t want to watch. Every time she thought back to her own, she winced.   
Three days before her final fight Myla had been paired up with one of the male initiates. He had decided that knocking her to the ground wasn’t enough and stomped on her ankle. Luckily for her it hadn’t broken, only dislocated, but her future in Dauntless was dubious for a short while. However, she went on and won her final fight. Although, fighting on a recently dislocated ankle was not fun. Subconsciously her limp became a little more noticeable as she walked to the training room.   
Once the crowd had disappeared, Myla pushed open the doors. Eric and Four were stood at the ranking board and looked up as the sound of the door closing echoed across the room. 

“Unless you want to clean up blood, you’re free to go. There’s nothing for you to do” Eric said. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. We need to take the board to Max as soon as we’ve finalised the rankings”. 

“Mind if I wait here then?” she asked. “It’s quiet”. Eric nodded his head and the two immediately went back to their discussion. 

Myla perched herself on a nearby bench and left them too it. It was nice to see them having an actual conversation for once, even though she knew it was strictly business and it wouldn’t be long until they were at each other’s throats once again. Both of their postures were tense, but it was a moment she didn’t take for granted. After all, it was difficult to have a boyfriend and best friend who hated each other.   
Initially, both relationships had been kept a secret. Myla had grown close with Four during the second stage Initiations. A mixture of shared experiences and other similarities revealed by the fear serum drew them to each other. Four helped her overcome her fears and kept her grounded. She owed him her place here at Dauntless. However, they kept it quiet to avoid accusations of favouritism.  
Her relationship with Eric hadn’t begun until a month or so after she had completed initiation. It wasn’t something that either of them thought would happen. But after relentless teasing and a fit of jealousy it just kind of happened. It was a typical cheesy love story. Once again, she had decided to keep it under wraps because she knew that it would draw attention to her. It was another few weeks after that when rumours started to circulate, and they had become public. Both hadn’t been all too happy about the other’s significant role in her life, but she made it clear that she wouldn’t choose one over the other. Myla had tried her best to make them get along, but it was futile. They still couldn’t stand being in the same room for more than a few minutes.   
Myla wasn’t sure how long had passed when they finished with the rankings. She followed the two as they headed to the dining hall with the board in hand. There they met with Max and prepared for the announcement. Before the chaos that would undoubtably ensue, Myla picked up a few pieces of food and wrapped it in a napkin, tucking it in the pocket of her sweater (well Eric’s but she had claimed it as her own) and took a place at the edge of the room.  
Max emerged on the balcony above and everyone went silent. Scanning the crowd, Myla could see the initiates trying their hardest not to look nervous. She knew all too well how they felt. It was only a year since she was in their position. She could remember the terrifying wait to find out if she was staying or faced a life of poverty and exile. All of that rested upon a single red line.   
Just like last year, Myla hadn’t been paying attention to Max’s speech and so the sudden cheering that erupted made her jump. She watched as pats on the backs and congratulations were given to those who got through and commiseration for the few who had not. Myla looked at the board and quickly scanned the list of names. She didn’t recognise most of the transfer’s, but Tris, Al, Christina and Will were all through to the next stage. Unfortunately, Peter had made it as well. Uriah and a bunch of the Dauntless-born’s had also passed. Everyone then moved out onto the pit to celebrate. As they did, Myla’s eyes met with Four’s and pointed upwards.

“I’ll meet you up there” he shouted over the noise. 

Myla allowed herself to get swept out of the dining hall by the crowd and split off once she was outside. She climbed up the steps to the levels high above the pit. The noise grew faint the further away she went until it was drowned out by the noise of the chasm. Myla sat on her usual spot against the wall to the side of the bridge. She was far enough from the edge that she was safe, but almost out of sight from those walking across.   
This was the spot where Myla had been going if she needed to think since her initiation days. Not many people knew of it and most would dare go this close to the edge. For some reason, the sound of the rushing water cleared her head.   
It wasn’t long until Four took a seat beside her. He pressed his body as close to the wall as he could, and his face showed obvious discomfort. 

“I still don’t understand how you can sit here” 

“Well the other option was the roof and it’s cold” she stated taking the wrapped-up food out of her pocket and placing it between them. “Plus, you climbed up a Ferris wheel so quit complaining”. 

The two ate in silence for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, listening to the rush of the water. Myla thought back to the times when the two would sit and talk here for hours. Now both rarely had the time spare. 

“Talking about the Ferris Wheel, Tris huh?” she asked with a smirk. 

“What about her?”. He turned to face Myla and studied her expression before he worked out what she was saying. “It’s not like that. She’s just interesting”. 

“Interesting? Like how I find a certain leader interesting or the reason why Erudite wear glasses even though they don’t need them interesting?” she teased. Four retaliated by nudging her shoulder. 

“Shut up. Anyway…” he said abruptly changing the topic. “Will you be alright tomorrow?”. 

“Yeah. I’m probably going to leave the compound for a little while. Eric said he was going to ask Max if I could have a day or two off. 

“If he says yes then you better rest”. 

“I will!” she said. Four raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “What?” 

“I know you too well. You’d find something to do but you need to rest” Four pressed. 

“Fine” she held her pinkie finger out to him and he wrapped his own around it. “I promise”. 

“And I promise that I’ll bolt your door if I hear that you’re not” he grinned. 

“I’d just get someone to put it on yours instead” she nudged him like he did to her before. “If you’re free tomorrow come with me?”. 

“I can’t I have to supervise”. 

“Ok, but if anything happens come find me”. 

The two sat and continued talking for a while before going their separate ways. Four headed to the control room whilst Myla made her way back down to the Pit. It was still crowded with people drinking and celebrating. Actually, it was mostly the Dauntless members drinking rather than the initiates. They would use any excuse to celebrate.   
Myla weaved through the different groups in search for Eric, but she couldn’t find him. Instead she saw Tris, Al, Will and Christina along with Uriah and few other Dauntless-borns sat on the floor. Zeke, Uriah’s older brother, was also with them. He was stood up with his back to her. Slowly, she crept up behind him and when she was close, clamped her hands-on his shoulders. He flinched. 

“Hi Zeke” she said. As he registered who she was, he practically jumped away from her. 

“Hey Myla… How are you?” he asked visibly nervous. 

“I’m good! Well, apart from a little birdie telling me that you’ve been talking about me…”

“Really? Oh. Look at that! I’ve got to go…” he backed away before running away in the opposite direction. 

“Watch your back Zeke!” she shouted after him. She locked eyes with Uriah and the Dauntless-borns and all burst into laughter. He reached up to give her a high five as she sat down in the new space. 

“Congrats guys! You made it” she spoke to the entire circle. A chorus of thanks were said back to her. 

“Make sure you enjoy tonight and tomorrow and make the most of the break before the next stage. You’ll definitely need it” she said.

“That’s not ominous at all” Will murmured and they all laughed again. 

“Have a drink, stay up late, spend time with your families tomorrow. Enjoy your momentary freedom and…”. She was about to say something else but was interrupted by a pair of hands lifted her up from underneath her own. The Initiates all went quiet. 

“I swear to god Zeke if that’s you…” 

“Why would it be Zeke?” a deep voice asked in her ear. Myla tilted her head back to see Eric, still holding onto her. 

“Everything ok?” she asked. 

“I’ve been looking for you”. She could smell alcohol on his breath 

“So have I but I couldn’t find you” she replied. Suddenly she felt him pull her backwards and away from the group. “Where are we going?”. 

“I want to speak to you” he said flatly. 

“See you later I guess” she shouted back at the group and tried not to trip of Eric’s feet. He only let her go when they were out of the Pit. “You’re drunk” she stated, hands resting on her hips. 

“I’m not” he argued. Myla raised an eyebrow. “Ok, maybe a little tipsy. I wanted to speak to you”. 

“You already said that”. 

“Are you mad at me?”

“No! Why would I be mad at you?” she asked confused. 

“You’re being defensive”. 

“How on Earth is letting you drag me away defensive? I’m actually finding this pretty entertaining” she laughed. Eric scanned her face for a moment before laughing himself. 

“Good. I asked Max and he said you can have the next four days off. Apparently, he’s really impressed with you lately, especially how you handled yourself in Abnegation”. 

“But I didn’t really do anything?”

“Trust me you did. You’ve been amazing lately”. 

“Ok maybe I like drunk Eric. He’s unusually sweet”.

“I’m always sweet” he pouted. Myla reached up and squeezed his cheeks. 

“Of course you are” she laughed again. “I’m going to stop before this gets even more gross. I’m going somewhere tomorrow then whilst the families are around. I’ll made sure to catch you before you’re done”. 

“Are you not staying around tonight?” 

“I’d rather not. You know that being around drunk people makes me uncomfortable. You enjoy yourself though and I’ll see you tomorrow”.

Myla started to walk away but Eric grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. He held onto her chin and tilted it up. His lips ghosted hers before placing a soft kiss against her cheek. He let her go and walked backwards towards the Pit leaving Myla to stand there, her face turning red. He laughed loudly at her expression. 

“Goodnight!” he called back to her with a grin. 

That smug jerk.


End file.
